Andrew Bynum’s Reluctance to Sign Long Term Extension Could Cost Lakers Dwight Howard

The Magic wants to trade Dwight Howard to Lakers, but there is one problem. Andrew Bynum only has one year left on deal and unlike Dwight Howard he doesn’t plan on missing out on being a free agent as soon as he can.

The Orlando Magic have intensified discussions about trading Dwight Howard, and the Brooklyn Nets are rapidly overtaking the Los Angeles Lakers as the strongest contender to land the disenchanted All-Star center, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

The appeal of the Lakers’ potential package for Bynum has also been diminished with Los Angeles sending its 2013 and 2015 first-round draft picks to the Phoenix Suns in the Steve Nash sign-and-trade deal. The NBA doesn’t allow teams to trade first-round picks in consecutive years, so the Lakers can’t offer Orlando their 2014 and 2016 first-round picks.

Bynum, 24, has one year left on his Lakers contract and has a short list of potential teams with salary-cap space and supporting cast that primarily include the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets with the Cleveland Cavaliers and a “couple others” on the list, league sources said. If Bynum remains with the Lakers past the Howard derby, he’ll have strong incentive to accept a maximum contract extension to stay in L.A., sources said. Otherwise, he has expressed a desire to test the free-agent market.